AHRC Funding

Overview

  • All applications for external research grant funding need the approval of the Faculty or Institute that will hold the funding awarded.  
  • You should therefore contact the Research Facilitator for your Faculty or Institute who will be able to advise on the approval process.  
  • Please note the maximum funding limits on the AHRC schemes is misleading.  This is because applications are costed under the Full Economic Costing methodology, meaning that a sizeable proportion (approximately half) of the funding covers institutional overheads.

AHRC Curiosity Awards

Funding available: Up to £100,000, for projects up to five years.
Deadline: no deadlines; proposals can be submitted at any time.
Eligibility: Check the ‘Who is eligible to apply’ section of the AHRC page carefully.  It is not a requirement that an employment contract be in place at the point of application submission; and also not a requirement to have a permanent employment contract to apply for funding.  However, if you do not have a post that covers the period of the project, the Faculty or Institute will need to agree to employ you. 
Scheme remit: Curiosity awards support early-stage ambitious and novel fundamental research; possible activities include setting new research agendas, idea generation, networking activity, knowledge exchange activities, etc.
Key considerations: 

  • It is very unlikely that a proposal based on a ‘lone-scholar model’ (ie without the involvement of other researchers or non-academic partners) will be successful.  
  • The scheme is not intended to fund fellowship types of proposal – i.e. proposals involving primarily full-time employment of the Project Lead.  The reviewers will be looking at how the grant will fund the exploration of new ideas in ways which would not be possible without funding - typically via a network or close collaboration with a non-academic partner.  
  • A typical structure might be a Project Lead working 4 hours per week on a project, with the support of a part-time research administrator, or other colleagues contributing a fractional time-commitment.
  • The start-date for a project must be at least six months from the date of submission.

AHRC Catalyst Awards

Funding available: Up to £100,000 - £300,000, for projects up to five years. 
Deadline: no deadlines; proposals can be submitted at any time.
Eligibility:  Check the ‘Who is eligible to apply’ section of the AHRC page carefully.  It is not a requirement that an employment contract be in place at the point of application submission; and also not a requirement to have a permanent employment contract to apply for funding.  However, if you do not have a post that covers the period of the project, the Faculty or Institute will need to agree to employ you.  The main applicant (Project Lead) cannot have previously held a major research grant.
Scheme remit: Catalyst awards support the development of leadership experience through the delivery of an ambitious or complex research project.  Partnerships and collaborations are supported, and the emphasis is on how the funding will contribute to the development of all those involved in the project.  
Key considerations: 

  • It is very unlikely that a proposal based on a ‘lone-scholar model’ (ie without the involvement of other researchers or non-academic partners) will be successful.  
  • The scheme is not intended to fund fellowship types of proposal – i.e. proposals involving primarily full-time employment of the Project Lead.  The reviewers will be looking at how the grant will fund the exploration of new ideas in ways which would not be possible without funding.  
  • A typical structure might be a Project Lead working part-time on a project, with funding for activities and engagement with other researchers and partners in a way which builds the individual’s leadership skills and experience.
  • Catalyst Awards typically prioritise engagement with non-academic partners and public engagement.
  • The start-date for a project must be at least nine months from the date of submission.

 

AHRC Standard Grants

Funding available: Up to £300,000-£1,500,000, for projects up to five years. 
Deadline: no deadlines; proposals can be submitted at any time.
Eligibility:  Check the ‘Who is eligible to apply’ section of the AHRC page carefully.  In order to apply, applicants need to have a contract of employment that extends beyond the proposed duration of the project. 
Scheme remit: Standard grants support the delivery of ground-breaking new research that cannot be achieved without a wider team of researchers.  Partnerships and collaborations are supported, as well as funding for the exploration of the wider impact of the research, and public engagement.
Key considerations: 

  • Proposals must be collaborative with at least one other researcher (a Project Co-Lead).  The scheme does not support proposals based on a ‘lone-scholar model’.  The reviewers will be looking at how the grant will fund ambitious research projects which would not be possible without funding.  
  • The scheme is not intended to fund fellowship types of proposal – i.e. proposals involving primarily full-time employment of the Project Lead.  
  • A typical structure might be a Project Lead and one or more Project Co-Leads, all working part-time on a project, together with Research Assistants or Postdoctoral Researchers undertaking detailed aspects of the research under the direction of the project leads.
  • The start-date for a project must be at least nine months from the date of submission.